A New Chapter at Montgomery Park

 

There was, quite simply, nothing like it in Portland when Montgomery Ward & Co. opened its big new building NW 27^th Avenue in 1920.  By square footage, the nine-story edifice – with a 10^th added on a bay on the western façade, was the largest edifice by square footage in Oregon.  It also featured three railway spurs heading into the ground floor for delivering merchandise for retail and mail order sales.

While many commercial buildings of the era still featured historical architectural details of some sort, Montgomery Ward’s bold reinforced concrete construction celebrated its unadorned, muscular strength. As the largest structure in Portland and, supposedly, anywhere west of the Rocky Mountains, it was “the finest extant example of period reinforced concrete industrial architecture in the city,” according to a historic review.

 Now a new owner hopes to revitalize the mostly-vacant behemoth that looms on an 8.59-acre site that was once part of the 1905 Lewis & Clark Centennial Exposition. Menashe Properties paid $33 million for the building in 2024 – virtually a fire-sale price in a commercial real estate market reeling from work-at-home popularity inspired by the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

Entering the atrium from the west

“Our goal is pretty straightforward: to preserve the character of the building while continuing to invest in improvements that support a vibrant mix of tenants and activity,” said Lauren Tangvald Menashe’s property manager.  “Montgomery Park has such an important place in the city’s history, and we definitely want to keep that spirit alive. A lot of our recent work has been focused on freshening things up. There have been upgrades to some of the common areas, general maintenance, and adding new tenant amenities.”

The goal is to fill six stories with offices, and offer space for retail, medical and other uses on the lower floors.

The building’s name was changed to Montgomery Park in 1984, when a company headed by Bill and Sam Naito purchased it from Montgomery Ward.  Bill Naito, never inclined to waste money, was proud that he only had to change two letters on the giant rooftop sign. The Naitos also did research that added the building to the National Register of Historic Places.

 In its heyday, Montgomery Ward was the nation’s first and largest mail order retailer.  The company used the first three floors for retail sales until 1976, and closed warehouse operations in 1982.  A north-side wing was added to the building in 1936, giving it the u-shaped floor plate it retains today.  A glass covered atrium greets visitors from the western side.

New life at Montgomery Park might not be the only change in the neighborhood.  The Portland City Council last December passed a Montgomery Park Area Plan intending to stimulate more housing, transit and mixed business opportunities in the vicinity.  Should much of plan come to pass, the Menashe Properties investment will look all the better.

------Fred Leeson

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